Performances:
August 7th, 8:45PM - 10:00 PM: “Creole Soul” JAS Academy Afro-Caribbean Big Band led by Etienne Charles
Learn more here.
August 8th, 6:30PM - 10:00PM: Kaleta & Super Yampa Band
Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta’s guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more. Learn more here.
August 9th, 6:30PM - 10:00PM: Monty Alexander’s Harlem Kingston Express
Nearly sixty five years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy ® nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message. His spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.” Learn more here.
August 10th, 6:30PM - 10:00PM: Cimafunk
Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons – Cubans of African descent that resisted slavery – and music and showmanship that re-embodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon that unites and celebrates blackness across borders, oceans and languages. Learn more here.
